Electron tube mounting device



Sept. 24, 1957 D. J. MCCANN ELECTRON TUBE MOUNTING DEVICE Filed Feb. 25,1954 IN VEN TOR. DONALD J. MCCANN ATTORNEYS United States PatentELECTRON TUBE MOUNTING DEVICE Donald J. McCann, Newton Highlands, Mass.

Application February 25, 1954, Serial N 0. 412,480

6 Claims. (Cl. 339-112) The present invention relates to the mounting ofelectron tubes and their closely associated circuit elements inelectronic equipment, and provides an improved plug-in unit on which maybe mounted one or more electron tubes, and those circuit elements inclose physical association with them.

Various devices have been proposed for mounting circuit elements inaccessible close physical relation with an electron tube, thesegenerally including, (1) tube sockets formed with projections carryingterminals to which the elements may be secured, and (2) plug-in unitshaving several spaced sets of terminals and a tube socket for receivingthe tube. Plug-in units have a number of advantages over those devicesformed about a permanently secured tube socket, primarily in equipmentused where repairs must be made rapidly, but have a disadvantageinherent in the two socket connections between the tube and the chassis(one being the socket connection between the plug-in unit and thechassis, and the other, the one between the tube and the plug-in unit),which in prior devices results in the tube being situated atconsiderable distance from the chassis. The tube is thus, ratherinsecurely fastened and also provided with an unnecessarily high momentof inertia about the chassis, rendering it susceptible to loosening byvibration.

The present invention provides a tube mounting device in which thedistance between the tube and the chassis is maintained at a minimum,thus greatly decreasing the loosening efiect of vibration. In addition,the device of this invention permits the various circuit elements suchas condensers, resistors and inductances to be mounted in closeproximity to both the tube and the chassis, whereby the length of leads,and stray inductance and capacitance coupled with them, may beminimized.

Although the invention has numerous embodiments, a few of which aredescribed below, it consists generally in a hollow, cylindrical casingof an insulating material near one end of which, are provided aplurality of prongs projecting generally parallel with the axis, bywhich the casing may be plugged into a socket formed to receive theprongs. About the outside of the casing are mounted a set of terminalseach connecting with one of the prongs whereby electrical contact withthe prongs may be made, and preferably one or more additional spacedsets of terminals are also provided to facilitate further the mountingof circuit elements to the casing. A tube socket is mount- .ed at oneend of or within the casing to support the tube substantially entirelywithin the casing, with the terminal lugs of the tube socket near theend of the casing to facilitate the making of electrical contact withthem.

By thus mounting the tube within the casing, its distance from thechassis is kept to a minimum, as is its distance from the circuitelements mounted at the outer wall of the casing. In addition, thecasing serves to shield the tube against damaging physical forces andalso serves as a conduit regulating the How of cooling air currents pastth tube. a a

For a further description of preferred embodiments se- 2 lected asillustrative of this invention, reference is made to the drawings inwhich:

Fig. l is a cross-sectional elevation of one preferred embodiment ofthis invention with parts broken away to show structural details,

Fig. 2 is a top end view of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional elevation showing two other embodiments ofthis invention, so constructed that two or more of the mounting devicesmay be connected together in tandem,

Fig. 4 is a top end view of the embodiments shown in Fig. 3,

Fig, 5 is a view in perspective showing an embodiment adapted formounting a pair of electron tubes, and

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional side elevation showing the embodiments ofFigs. 1 and 2 mounted in a panel and provided with a sleeve serving as acooling element for the tube.

From the drawings it will be seen, that each embodiment includes agenerally cylindrical casing 10, near one end of which are provided aplurality of prongs 12 projecting generally parallel with the axis ofthe casing. In an accessible location at the outer wall of the casingare provided a set of terminals 14, each connecting with one of theprongs 12. Mounted to the casing 10 and preferably within it, is a tubesocket 16, positioned to support an electron tube 18 substantiallyentirely within the casing. The tube socket is conveniently ofconventional design, consisting of a body member 20 of insulatingmaterial having holes on one side adapted to receive the pins of anelectron tube. A conductor in each hole connects to a socket terminallug 22 projecting outwardly from the other side of the body member 20,and provides means for making electrical contact with the pins of thetube 18.

On the outer wall of the casing 10 are provided a plurality of mountingterminals 24 between pairs of which, the various circuit elements may bemounted and to which electrical connections may be made. Preferably, themounting terminals are arranged in two sets 24a and 24b, those of eachset being each aligned in a plane perpendicular to the axis of thecasing, and the two sets being spaced from each other a suflicientdistance to accommodate between them such circuit elements as resistors,condensers and the like.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the cylindrical casing 10 isformed with an outwardly projecting annular flange 30 near the bottomend (bottom and top herein being a designation of convenience) and withopposed internal brackets 32 near the top end. The prongs 12 and prongterminals 14 are provided on plugs 34 mounted in the annular flange 30,with the prongs 12 directed toward the bottom end of the casing, and theprong terminals 14 projecting above the top edge of the flange 30. Theplugs 34 are conveniently conventional banana-spring-type plugs.

The internal brackets 32 shown as four in number and arranged in opposedpairs, serve to support the tube socket 16 within the casing 10 and areformed with top surfaces perpendicular to the axis of the casing andwith upwardly and inwardly sloping lower surfaces which serve to guidethe tube base toward the socket. The socket is of conventional designand includes an encircling rim member 36 secured about the periphery ofthe body portion 20, and having apertured extensions by which the socketis fastened by screws 37 to the top of an opposed pair of brackets 32with the socket terminal lugs 22 directed toward the top end of thecasing. Thus, the tube 18 mounted in the socket 16 extends toward thebottom of the casing, and is mounted entirely within it. The mountingterminals 24a and 24b are arranged in two annular rows, each in a planeperpendicular to the axis, the top row being approximately opposite theterminal lugs 22, and the bottom row being near the prong terminals 14.The mounting terminals it will be seen, are spaced about the peripheryof the casing with one terminal of one set in general longitudinalalignment with a terminal of the other set, the aligned mountingterminals being preferably displaced from alignment with the plugterminals 14 to facilitate the making of electrical connections to thelatter.

In this embodiment, the mounting terminals 24a and 24b consist of hollowsleeves having two outwardly projecting fingers extending from theirouter ends and are securely fitted into perforations in the wall of thecasing. Terminals of this type have been found particularlyadvantageous, especially in the top row of terminals 24:: opposite thesocket terminal lugs 22, in that connections between the lugs 22 and themounting terminals 24a may be readily made by inserting a wire throughthe mounting terminal, soldering its end to the socket terminal, andthen winding the shank of the wire about the fingers of the mountingterminal and soldering it thereto.

In Fig. 6 is shown the manner by which the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 2may be incorporated in electronic equipment. Such equipment willgenerally include a panel or chassis 40 on which the equipment isassembled. The panel 40 is conveniently formed with a generally circularopening in which is mounted a casing socket comprising a ring-shapedsocket base member 42 through which extend a number of sleeves 44arranged to receive the prongs 12, and within which is received thelower portion of the casing 10. Electrical connections incorporating thevarious subassemblies mounted on the casing in the desired circuit aremade through sleeve terminals 46 projecting outwardly from the rear sideof the base member 42. The socket is conveniently secured to the panel40 by forming the base ring with outward extensions 45 by which thesocket may be screwed or otherwise fastened to the panel.

Although it is generally contemplated that air will be free to circulatethrough the casing 1% enhanced cooling may be effected by inserting ametal sleeve 50 having cooling fins 52 at one end over the tube with themetal fins in free access to the atmosphere. Alternatively, the sleevemay connect with other cooling means.

In the embodiments shown in Figs. 3 and 4-, the mounting units have thegeneral construction outlined above, but include in addition, a set ofsleeves 54 provided at the upper end of the casing It) and arranged toreceive the prongs 12 of a second mounting unit. According to this typeof construction, the prong are mounted at an end of the casingconveniently in an outwardly extending annular flange 56 while a similarflange 58 is formed at the upper end of the casing to provide a mountingfor the sleeves 54. Each of the sleeves terminates in a terminal 60extending downwardly below the lower edge of the upper flange 53 toprovide for the making of appropriate electrical connections.

Where two units are mounted in tandem, it is frequently convenient tomount the tube in the lower unit with its base toward the top and thetube in the upper unit with its base toward the bottom, in the mannershown in Fig. 3. Conveniently, the tube sockets I6 are mounted in aplatform 62 appropriately located within the casing, and secured thereinby screws 63 passing through the walls of the casing platform. Eachplatform and associated tube socket may thus be positioned to face ineither direction and in any desired position within the casing. In anycase, however, it is contemplated that the tube will be mountedsubstantially entirely within the casing.

The platforms 62 are preferably cut inwardly at their edges between theregions where they are engaged by the screws 63 to provide channels 64from one side of the platform to the other, so that a current of air mayflow through the casing to provide adequate cooling for 4 the tubes.Where a number of the units are mounted end to end, a convenient methodof providing adequate cooling is by forcing a stream of cooling airthrough the assembled units, as by connecting an air hose to one end ofthe assembly.

The socket by which the units are mounted to the chassis in theembodiment shown in Fig. 3 consists of a flat ring of insulatingmaterial 66 supported above the chassis 40 on hollow posts 68. Sleeves7d connecting at their lower ends to sleeve terminals 72 are mounted inperforations in the ring 66 to receive the prongs 12 and provideelectrical access to them.

In the embodiments shown in Fig. 5, the casing 10 is widened toaccommodate a pair of tubes 18 each mounted in a socket 16 securedbetween a pair of opposed brackets 32 in the manner described withreference to Figs. 1 and 2.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that this inventionprovides a versatile plug-in unit of simple construction by whichindividual stages of an electronic circuit may be made up as replaceablesub-assemblies to be plugged into appropriate sockets in the equipment.By constructing sub-assemblies in this manner, they may be readilyassembled and tested before being finally incorporated in the circuit,while the circuitry on the panel to which they are mounted can begreatly simplified, since the majority of the circuit elements will bemounted to the plug-in units and the wiring of the panel will beprimarily a matter of connecting together the mounting socket terminals.

The insertion and removal of tubes from the mounting device of thisinvention may be readily accomplished by means of ordinary commerciallyavailable tube pullers. Although this invention has been described withreference to preferred embodiments, it is contemplated that ohviousmodifications will occur to those skilled in the art, and that such maybe made without departing from the scope of the invention.

Having thus disclosed my invention and described in detail preferredembodiments thereof, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. An electron tube mounting device comprising an open ended cylindricalcasing of insulating material, parallel metal prongs disposed about theperiphery of said casing whereby said casing may be inserted andelectrically connected into a suitable receptacle, a plurality of metalterminals mounted at the outside of said casing, a tube socket havingmeans for engaging the pins of an electron tube and having terminal lugsconnecting with said means, said socket being mounted within said casingby supporting structure defining an air passage between said socket andsaid casing to support the tube substantially entirely within saidcasing, said casing being of large internal cross-section with respectto the tube such that the tube is spaced from the inner wall of saidcasing to define an air passage between said casing and the tube,whereby a current of air may be passed through the casing to cool thetube.

2. An electron tube mounting device comprising an open ended cylindricalcasing of insulating material, parallel metal prongs disposed about theperiphery of said casing at one end thereof whereby said casing may beinserted and electrically connected into a suitable receptacle, aplurality of metal sleeves mounted at the other end of said casing toreceive the prongs of a similar device, a first set of terminals mountedat the outside of said casing each connecting with one of said prongs, asecond set of terminals mounted at the outside of said casing eachconnecting to one of said sleeves, a tube socket having means forengaging the pins of an electron tube and having terminal lugsconnecting with said means, said socket being mounted within said casingby supporting structure defining an air passage between said socket andsaid casing to support the tube substantially entirely within saidcasing, said casing being of large internal cross-section with respectto the tube such that the tube is spaced from the inner wall of saidcasing to define an air passage between said'casing and the tube,whereby a current of air may be passed through the casing to cool thetube.

3. An electron tube mounting device comprising an open ended cylindricalcasing of insulating material, an annular flange surrounding saidcasing, a plurality of metal prongs projecting from one side of saidflange parallel with the axis of said casing, a first set of terminalsat the other side of said flange each connecting with one of saidprongs, a tube socket having means for engaging the pins of an electrontube and having terminal lugs connecting with said means, said socketbeing mounted within said casing by supporting structure defining an airpassage between said socket and said casing to support the tubesubstantially entirely within said casing, said casing being of largeinternal cross-section with respect to the tube such that the tube isspaced from the inner wall of said casing to define an air passagebetween said casing and the tube, whereby a current of air may be passedthrough the casing to cool the tube.

4. An electron tube mounting device comprising an open ended cylindricalcasing of insulating material, an annular flange surrounding saidcasingat one end, a plurality of metal prongs projecting outwardly fromthe outer side of said flange parallel with the axis of said casing, afirst set of terminals at the other side of said flange each connectingwith one of said prongs, a second annular flange surrounding said casingat the other end, a plurality of metal sleeves extending inwardly fromthe outer side of said second annular flange to receive the prongs of asimilar device, a second set of terminals at the other side of saidsecond annular flange each connecting with one of said sleeves, a tubesocket having means for engaging the pins of an electron tube and havingterminal lugs connecting with said means, said socket being mountedwithin said casing by supporting structure defining an air passagebetween said socket and said casing to support the tube substantiallyentirely within said casing, said casing being of large internalcross-section with respect to the tube such that the tube is spaced fromthe inner wall of said casing to define an air passage between saidcasing and the tube, whereby a current of air may be passed through thecasing to cool the tube.

5. The electron tube mounting device defined by claim 1 in which themetal terminals are hollow and are mounted in an opening in the casingand project outwardly from the casing, whereby an electrical connectionto the terminal lugs may be through the hollow metal terminals.

6. An electron tube mounting device comprising an open-ended cylindricalcasing of insulating material, parallel metal prongs disposed about theperiphery of said casing at one end thereof whereby said casing may beinserted and electrically connected into a suitable receptacle, aplurality of metal sleeves mounted at the other end of said casing toreceive the prongs of a similar device, a first set of terminals mountedat the outside of said casing each connecting with one of said prongs, asecond set of terminals mounted at the outside of said casing eachconnecting with one of said sleeves, a third set of hollow metalterminals .mounted in openings through said casing and projectingoutwardly therefrom, a tube socket having means for engaging the pins ofan electron tube and having terminal lugs connecting with said means,said socket being mounted within said casing by supporting structuredefining an air passage between said socket and said casing to supportthe tube substantially entirely within said casing, said casing being.of large internal cross-section with respect to the tube such that thetube is spaced from the inner wall of said casing to define an airpassage between said casing and the tube, whereby a current of air maybe passed through the casing to cool the tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,850,583 Gage Mar. 22, 1932 2,628,270 Himmel Feb. 10, 1953 2,637,763Palmer May 5, 1953 2,720,578 Cafliaux Oct. 11, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS626,131 Great Britain July 11, 1949

